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Chapters 8 and 9
Eighth and Ninth Bones: "Ambition--Baldy's Scheme" is the eighth chapter of [[Manga|the manga B. Ichi]]. It was collected as part of Volume 2. Featured Appearances Plot Fear Factory, IC Prefecture At an entrance, Yohei Nanami has used a cable to connect his keyboard to the Fear Factory keycard security system. With a few keystrokes, he manages to hack into the system to open the door. Rather than run in, however, Yohei edges the corner of the entrance, aiming his handgun into the hallway. He is surprised to find no one inside. Even as he admits security is light, he still expects the Fear Robot should be straight ahead. Yohei then hears a sound of air blowing through the hallway before seeing eyes in the darkness. They belong to numerous robots. Yohei realizes he has fallen into a trap. Robot Fighting Tournament Stadium The B-Block quarter-final begins with Mana Hinoki and her robot, Get, competing against her opponent, Nemuta and his robot C3P-Oh. With his remote control, Nemuta mocks Mana's "puny robot." But he is surprised as her robot dodges C3P-Oh and jabs it with Yamatsu-ki, its fists denting into C3P-Oh's torso. Get follows up with additional jabs before drop-kicking into the torso again, knocking C3P-Oh to the floor. Impressed with Get's performance, Mana still cannot understand why Yohei discouraged her from participating in this competition. But Mana then realizes that Get has ignored her orders: despite her orders, Get dashes at C3P-Oh to attack with its special move, piercing a hole into its opponent, defeating it. From the stadium's audience, Dr. Agei confirms with Rodigy that Mana is the girl that Zuno had followed with his Trapping Hair and that Yohei indeed built her robot. Agei also confirms whether his robot army is about to capture Yohei, but Rodigy says that Nofix will take care of Yohei himself. Although Nofix's actions are likely less practical, Rodigy assures Agei that Nofix will still keep their plans on schedule, so for now, they may enjoy this Robot Fighting Tournament. As Rodigy hears Mana's Get won "in the blink of an eye," he smiles, thinking the same will speedy defeat awaits Yohei. Fear Factory Meanwhile, Agei's humanoid robots, with elongated nose, march towards Yohei. One robot's needle nose fires out of its face, a cable still attached to it as the nose pierces Yohei's left shoulder. Although injured, Yohei aims his handgun with his right hand, the bullet piercing through attacking robot until its head explodes. Even as Yohei has defeat one robot, two more follow him. He removes another handgun so he may fire with both hands, yet he is fearful as an entire army of Agei's robots march towards him. Yohei is then surprised as the door behind him opens. It is the entrance to the Fear Robot Facility, with Yohei's own creation marching out, piloted by Nofix. "Hello," Nofix begins. "I came to pick you up." Before Yohei can respond, he is knocked in the back of his head by the robot army. Forced to the ground, Yohei is then pummeled by the robots, their jabs spreading his blood along the floor. Nofix, however, insists that Yohei follow him: "There's something I want to show you." As Yohei lies on the floor, Nofix repeats: "Coming? Spin." Fantastic Island, IC Prefecture In the Prefecture's garbage dump, the kappa Tool is getting more irritated with his uninvited guest, the Dokeshi Shotaro, who continues singing Charisma Justice's theme song while searching the garbage dump for Justice merchandise. Tool complains Shotaro looks ill as he sings, asking that he not stand near him. When Shotaro suggests he now sing the Justice ending theme, "Men Work Nights in Silence," Tool again asks him to stop. Shotaro responds that at least Yohei would enjoy his Justice singing. But Tool and Shotaro are being observed by Zuno and Assi, hidden behind a trash heap. Zuno chuckles at the prospect of reporting on these "suspicious" persons to Rodigy. When Zuno refers to himself as a perfectionist, Assi shakes as if freezing, claiming Zuno's remark "was so bad it left me cold." Again, Zuno punches Assi in the head, saying his remark was not a joke but part of their espionage mission. Assi then sits up to compliment Zuno on their ability to avoid being detected by Tool and Shotaro. At that moment Shotaro appears in front of Zuno, asking what he and Assi are doing. Zuno tells Assi to keep quiet and maybe Shotaro will not notice them--until Assi points out that Shotaro just demonstrated he found them. As Zuno panics, he urges Assi not to as he has a plan. Zuno then pretends he is searching for his baseball after Assi hit it so far--but Assi cannot keep up the charade, as he does not have a bat. As Shotaro stares at Zuno and Assi, the two Fear Factory spies wait for Shotaro's reaction. Finally, Shotaro responds: Zuno's nose hairs are long. Shotaro wraps his fingers around the nose hairs in Zuno's left nostrils and pulls them out. Zuno screams that it is rude for someone to remove someone's nose hairs, especially when long nose hairs are a fashion statement. Shotaro grins with happiness at the idea of nose hairs being a fashion statement--so he wraps his fingers around the nose hairs in his right nostril and removes them. Shocked from the pain, Zuno collapses. As Assi tends to his colleague, who now feels worthless without his nose hairs, a scared Shotaro runs away, assuring Tool he "didn't do it." Robot Fighting Tournament Stadium Mana is about to battle Luke Akiho in the final match. But first, the announcer introduces a special guest: Happy Factory's Vice President, Rodigy. Rodigy stands before the enthusiastic crowd that applauds his arrival before politely asking that they quiet down. Rodigy begins his speech, addressing all the products the Happy Factory has developed to make life easier and more comfortable. He then reveals that the Factory has a new secret product that they will reveal today. Mana whispers that she wish Rodigy would show it already, while Luke says a place like Happy Factory only makes products that cheer up customers. Rodigy then pushes a button, causing the stage in front of Mana, Luke, and the announcer to slide apart to reveal something hidden below. From below rising the Fear Robot, piloted by Nofix, with Yohei bound next to him. Looking down to see Mana is impressed by the size of the robot, Nofix recognizes her as Yohei's friend from Zuno's photographs. Yohei feigns a lack of concern for Mana, but Nofix intends to give his enemy "a VIP seat" to some violence. Rodigy continues to announce that the Fear Robot "will be a bridge to a wonderful future," "a new symbol of I.C. Prefecture" so he may "see you smile!" attacks stadium attendees]] Inside the cockpit, Nofix commands the Fear Robot to "spin around." Yohei is shocked at what he anticipates Nofix will do. As the audience applauds and smiles at the Happy Factory's new robot, Nofix commands: "Die...you pieces of shit!" Yohei stares in horror as the Fear Robot slams its fist into the audience, knocking attendees out of their seats and into the air. Rodigy wears a demonic grin. "Because we want to see you smile, we want to strike wonderful fear into your hearts!" he screams. The Fear Robot performs an uppercut, knocking more attendees into the air. Nofix then sees a young girl, clutching her bear doll. Nofix grins madly. The bear, now dripping with blood, is seen tossed into the air. Nofix then sees that security robots for the tournament have arrived, accompanied by police officers ordering that the Fear Robot be taken down. As the commanding police officer orders fire, he is impressed at the apparent damage his security robots are making. But Nofix tells these "morons" that the Fear Robot can withstand such damage. From its hand emerges Lunch Bag Hammer, an orb that flattens security robots. On the computer screen inside the Fear Robot, Dr. Agei recommends Nofix try the Recorder Saber in the robot's backpack. Nofix commands the Fear Robot to remove the device, which it prepares to swing down at the security robots. Fantastic Island Shotaro and Tool see smoke and hear explosions coming from the stadium. Shotaro asures Tool that Mana "must be going wild" and suggests they witness her battle. But Zuno--with nose hairs now drawn onto his upper lip with a marker--blocks Shotaro's path, bragging that he has been deceiving Shotaro for so long without him realizing who he really is. Before Zuno can reveal who he really is, however, Assi interrupts to point out that Shotaro and Tool already ran past him for the stadium. Fighting Robot Tournament Stadium Attendees, barely alive, scream amidst the smoke and debris: "Help! Somebody! Help!" From the cockpit of the Fear Robot, Nofix repeats one word: "Die." Yohei watches in disgust. Rodigy continues to cackle, urging the Fear Robot to teach these "pigs" what "overwhelming fear" feels like. Amidst the smoke, Mana still stands, clutching Get. As the smoke clears, she witnesses the Fear Robot's destruction of the stadium, and the numerous attendees it has killed. Mana then feels Luke clutch her ankle. She sets down Get and assists him. With the smoke cleared, Nofix can see on his television screen Mana. Recognizing her as Yohei's friend, Nofix chides him: "Doesn't that make you happy?" Yohei screams at Nofix not to hurt her, as she did nothing. As the Fear Robot towers over Mana and Luke, Nofix says to Yohei, "It doesn't matter if she has anything to do with this or not. ... I kill every last person who has anything to do with you!" Yohei begs Nofix to kill him instead. Nofix promises to do so, but as he is "greedy," he intends to kill more than just him. As Yohei look at the television screen, Nofix adds, "Whenever you watch your buddies die, it's always on the monitor, isn't it?" Mana stares at the Fear Robot and thinks, "You serious?" Nofix whistles while Yohei, watching the monitor, screams: he sees the Fear Robot's fist crush Mana and Luke. Outside the Stadium In an alley, Assi is unable to keep up with Shotaro and Tool, while Zuno complains that "a cultured Dokeshi like me just isn't cut out for stuff like this." Shotaro, practically running on all fours, is surprised with the audience's screaming, thinking Mana must be impressing the audience with her performance. Tool corrects him that those screams are not those of a normal crowd. They will have to see what is happening once they turn one more corner and can enter the stadium. Around the corner, Shotaro and Tool find smoke and debris: the stadium is crushed under the shadow of the Fear Robot. Tool looks in horror at the injured and the dead; as he senses the sounds of the inanimate objects, he says, "The screams of things and people are all jumbled together, echoing." Overwhelmed, Tool falls to his knee. Zuno and Assi manage to catch up--and are just as shocked to see what their employers at Fear Factory have done. Shotaro is silent, his head lowered and in shadows. He then screams, "Awesome, Mana-san! You got so huge! I'm seriously no match for you!" Upon realizing Shotaro mistakes Mana's robot Get for the Fear Robot, Tool, Zuno, and Assi all correct him. Zuno calls Shotaro an idiot, and Assi says Shotaro's joke left him cold. Tool finally explains to Shotaro that "this isn't a joke, ... this is reality." Atop the Fear Robot's shoulder stands Rodigy, clutching a megaphone in which calls to the injured: "You are pigs." Smoke rises from the carnage, forming the symbol of Fear Factory. Rodigy continues: "I. C. Prefecture will become a Fear Factory plant, and you guys will work in it like pigs. And you're going to work your curly little tails off making weapons until you die! Any one of you filthy pigs who tires to go against us will get a taste of the overwhelming fear of this Fear Robot." To demonstrate, Nofix commands the Fear Robot's right arm to spin. The wind blows against those who survived the stadium attack. Tool tries to cover his face against the wind, but Shotaro stands upright, facing it directly. As Rodigy repeats that all who stand before him are pigs, Tool curses this "bastard." Shotaro then says, "I've got fire in my bones now! Some serious fire!" Trivia *Signs inside the Fear Factory include "Kuraaku" and "Fear." *This chapter includes numerous allusions to the United States science fiction film series, Star Wars. **The name of Nemuta's robot, C3P-Oh, is an allusion to the droid C-3PO. "Oh" is written with the character for "king."B. Ichi Manga: Volume 2, English eBook, Pages 149, 190 **Luke Akiho's name is an allusion to the Star Wars protagonist Luke Skywalker, "Akiho" written with the characters for "sky" and "walk."B. Ichi Manga: Volume 2, English eBook, Pages 160, 191 **Luke Akiho's robot closely resembles C-3PO's fellow droid R2-D2. *Nofix's repetition of "Coming?" and "Spin" constitute a pun: both words in Japanese are the same, "kuru."B. Ichi Manga: Volume 2, English eBook, Pages 155, 190 *Taiyaki is a Japanese pastry in the shape of a fish, similar to a thick pancake and stuffed with azuki (sweet red bean) paste. Based on the Justice theme song that Shotaro sings, Charisma Justice enjoys eating the taiyaki from the tail.B. Ichi Manga: Volume 2, English eBook, Pages 156, 191 *Signs at the stadium read "Ninteido" and "Laugh to Death." Ninteido is written with characters for "conceal" or "spy" (as in ninja), "imperial," and "road/way." "Ninteido" may allude to Nintendo, the Japanese company most famous for its video game products. I. C. Prefecture as it appears in Chapter 4 had computer monitors and keyboards in the shape of Nintendo video game hardware, such as the controller for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Game Boy.B. Ichi Manga: Chapter 4 's megaphone]] *Rodigy's megaphone, with lips around its speaker and a tongue emerging from it, resembles the logo for British rock band the Rolling Stones. The megaphone also has the following message written on it: "Like a rolling stone."B. Ichi Manga: Volume 2, English eBook, Pages 180, 191 Connections to Okubo's Later Work *Additional Star Wars references appear in Okubo's Fire Brigade of Flames, including another robot that resembles R2-D2 and a character repeating a line famous from the film series: "I got a bad feeling about this." References Category:Chapters Category:Shotaro/Appearance Category:Mana Hinoki/Appearance Category:Yohei Nanami/Appearance Category:Tool/Appearance Category:Rodigy/Appearance Category:Dr. Agei/Appearance Category:Nofix/Appearance Category:Nemuta/Appearance Category:C3P-Oh/Appearance Category:Luke Akiho/Appearance